BIRMINGHAM, Alabama -- A soldier from Birmingham, killed from gunfire in Afghanistan on Saturday, was described by a high school friend as a man with a sense of humor who wanted to serve his country.

Staff Sgt. Michael W. Hosey, 27, died in Uruzgan province, Afghanistan, of injuries suffered when insurgents attacked his unit using small arms fire, according to a Department of Defense statement. He was assigned to the 3rd Battalion, 1st Special Forces Group, Joint Base Lewis-McChord, Wash. No other soldiers were injured or killed in that attack, a military spokeswoman said.

Hosey has been posthumously awarded the Meritorious Service Medal, the
Purple Heart and the Bronze Star Medal, according to the military's
statement.

One former high school classmate said Hosey had a sense of humor.

"No matter how the class was going he could put a smile on your face," said Erin Kinnaird, who graduated with Hosey from Clay-Chalkville High School in 2001.

On days students were allowed to dress up in costumes in high school, Hosey would wear military uniforms, Kinnaird said. "He had always wanted to be in the military," she said.

Hosey, a 27-year-old native of Alabama, is survived by his mother Condi Hosey and father Michael Fred Hosey, according to the military's statement.

Hosey's parents declined comment today.

After graduating high school Hosey joined the Army in 2001 and became a communications intelligence specialist. After attending basic training at Fort Jackson, South Carolina, and then the Defense Language Institute, Foreign Language Center at the Presidio of Monterey in Monterey, California, He attended Advanced Individual Training at Goodfellow Air Force Base in San Angelo Texas.

Hosey's first duty assignment was with Company B, 304th Military Intelligence Battalion, 111th MI Brigade where he instructed officers in the MI Officer Basic Course and Officer Training Corps, in the proper deployment of a Signal Intelligence Company on the battlefield. He also worked with US Border Patrol in the emplacement of Remote Battlefield Sensor System for joint task forces.

In 2003, he was assigned to Fort Huachuca, Arizona, where he served as a communications intelligence specialist. In 2005, Hosey was assigned to Fort Lewis, Washington.

His other awards and decorations included the Army Commendation Medal with two oak leaf clusters, the Army Achievement Medal with one oak leaf cluster, the Army Good Conduct Medal with bronze clasp (two Loops), the National Defense Service Medal, the Afghanistan Campaign Medal (with Campaign Star), the Iraq Campaign Medal (with Campaign Star), the Global War on Terror Service Medal, the Non-commissioned Officer Professional Development Ribbon with the Numeral 2, the Army Service Ribbon, and the North Atlantic Treaty Organization Medal.